Department for Transport

Railways: Trees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the independent report to his Department on Network Rail’s approach to vegetation management, published on 28 November 2018, whether he has plans to (a) respond to that report and (b) use enforcement powers to implement the recommendations of that report.

Andrew Jones: I have set out my response to John Varley’s independent review on GOV.UK. In this I confirm that I have accepted the recommendation directed at Government and expect Network Rail to rise to the challenge of those within their area of competence. We will now work with Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road to agree how these recommendations can be embedded into Network Rail’s performance management arrangements, and in accordance with their own statutory responsibilities for the railways.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect of the proposed HS2 works between Long Eaton and Nuthall.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Socio-economic impacts of HS2 are set out in the Phase 2b Working Draft Environmental Statement, currently out for consultation until December 21 2018. I would also note that the East Midlands HS2 growth strategy estimates 74,000 jobs and nearly £4billion of Gross Added Value will be added to the East Midlands region by 2043. Long Eaton and Nuthall will benefit from close proximity to the East Midlands HS2 station, which will provide frequent high speed train services to London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds and beyond, as well as connections to Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. This will provide significant employment opportunities for people in Long Eaton and Nuthall.

Great Western Rail Franchise

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the Written Statement of 4 December,  HCWS1132 on Rail Update; whether GTR has met the standard for a termination event under Schedule 10 of its Franchise Agreement.

Andrew Jones: The Department has concluded that the disruption on this network was caused by a series of mistakes and complex issues across the rail industry. This is in line with Professor Stephen Glaister’s interim report. While Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) contributed to this failure, the failure cannot be solely attributed to them. The Department has concluded that a termination of the franchise would cause further and undue disruption for passengers and is not an appropriate course of action. The Government is holding GTR to account for their role in the unacceptable performance following the introduction of the May timetable. GTR will make no profits this financial year, and will have a profit cap for the rest of the franchise term. Furthermore, GTR will be contributing £15m towards tangible improvements for passengers. This is in addition to the £15m the operator has already contributed towards compensation for passengers since the May timetable disruption.

Rail Review

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials in (a) the Department for Transport (b) HM Treasury (c) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and (d) Number 10 Downing Street are (i) working on or (b) seconded to the Williams Rail Review.

Andrew Jones: The Williams Rail Review is utilising staff and drawing flexibly on a wide range of expertise from across government and interested organisations.

Railways: Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the capacity for rail freight growth will be included in the Government’s specification for the north Transpennine as a result of his Department's internal Board Investment and Commercial Committee meeting held on 19 November 2018.

Andrew Jones: The Transpennine Route Upgrade design remit continues to include freight options. Network Rail, the Department and TfN will continue to work closely to develop the programme further and I expect work to begin in Spring next year.

Railways: Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions has he had with Transport for the North on the exclusion of freight from the specification of the north Transpennine upgrade.

Andrew Jones: Ministers and officials have met TfN representatives on a number of occasions to discuss Trans Pennine Upgrade and other rail issues and confirm that the remit for the upgrade continues to include freight options. Network Rail, the Department and TfN will continue to work closely to develop the programme further and we expect work to begin in Spring next year.

Railways: Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to increase the volume of rail freight from ports in the North of England.

Andrew Jones: In Control Period 5 (2014-2019), Government is investing £235m in the Strategic Freight Network – a ring fenced fund to support projects and enhancements where there is the opportunity for more freight to be transported by rail. This investment includes W12 gauge clearance to allow higher and wider containers to be transported between the Port of Immingham and Doncaster. An Outline Business Case (OBC) is also being developed for a gauge clearance scheme from the Port of Tees to the ECML at Northallerton, jointly funded by Government and by the Tees Valley Combined Authority. Government is working with Network Rail, Transport for the North, and the industry to develop options for investment in the network in CP6 in the North of England.

Railways: Snodland

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of potential growth in passengers on high-speed services from Snodland to London St Pancras in the next rail franchise period.

Andrew Jones: In developing the specification for train services and rolling stock capacity in the next franchise, the Department considered forecast changes in population and employment alongside other factors which influence rail demand such as fuel prices. For the purpose of this analysis, the Department groups stations. Snodland forms part of the ‘West Kent’ group. Demand is considered on a flow basis – for example West Kent to London rather than for individual stations or services. Forecast demand growth over the next franchise for the West Kent group is 0.55% per annum. In reality individual stations may grow higher or lower than this rate. In determining the specification for the new franchise the Department sought to cater for this demand across conventional and high speed services. The next franchisee must meet this specification no later than December 2022.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure sufficient road grit is available for winter 2018-19.

Jesse Norman: Highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. Winter service and maintenance, including ensuring adequate grit supplies, is therefore the responsibility of the relevant highway authority. Roads in Northern Ireland are a devolved matter, but there too it is a matter for the highway authority to ensure that it has an adequate supply of road grit to treat the roads for which it is responsible. The Department for Transport has taken a number of steps to ensure highway authorities in England enter the 2018/19 winter season well prepared. This includes monitoring the amount of road grit being held around the country throughout the winter season, working closely with the UK domestic road grit producers and maintaining a substantial national emergency road grit reserve. The Department for Transport has written to all highway authorities in England, outside London, reminding them of their responsibilities during the winter season and the letter is available at the following weblink:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762280/winter-2018-2019-final-letter-to-local-authority.pdf

Railways: EU Countries

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK train operating companies can access European markets after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: We have welcomed expertise from EU (and broader international) train operating companies in the UK market, as has the EU benefitted from the expertise of British based train operating companies. This has been in the mutual interest of all parties. The Government is committed to securing a close partnership with the EU across a range of sectors, including effective market access. The exact nature of those arrangements remain a matter for negotiations.

Railways: Freight

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to protect the future growth of cross-border rail freight after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: The Government has agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. The UK has also agreed with the EU the broad terms of our future relationship as set out in the outline Political Declaration. This includes a commitment to agree bilateral arrangements with Member States to ensure the continued smooth functioning and operation of services through the Channel Tunnel. The Government is engaging with a range of European counterparts, including relevant Member States, in relation to the continued operation of cross-border rail services, following preparations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. These discussions are ongoing and include consideration of arrangements needed both following the implementation period, as well as preparations for the unlikely event of no deal. The Government is committed to supporting the continued success of the Channel Tunnel, including rail freight services that run through it, and we want to see these grow in the future. The arrangements we are seeking to negotiate bilaterally are intended to ensure that both current operators of passenger and freight services, and any prospective operators seeking to run new services in future, can do so as seamlessly as possible.

Transport: EU Countries

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to prepare the UK for leaving the EU without a deal in terms of (a) EU exit statutory instruments and (b) the continuity of goods and services through the Channel Tunnel.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Transport (DfT) began laying EU Exit statutory instruments (SIs) in July 2018, almost as soon as the EU (Withdrawal) Act received Royal Assent. DfT is ranked among the top three departments for delivery, having since laid in draft over 30 of our EU Exit SIs. Recognising that we have a significant number to lay, the Department continues to work at pace to ensure delivery, while adhering to the prescribed processes. The laying of the remaining SIs that we consider crucial to be in place for exit day will be spread between now and February. In relation to services through the Channel Tunnel the Government continues to work closely with a range of partners, including the relevant governments and Eurotunnel, on contingency plans to ensure that trade can continue to move as freely as possible between the UK and Europe, including in the event of no deal.

Blue Badge Scheme

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timetable is for bringing forward legislation to extend eligibility for a Blue Badge to people who have hidden or non-physical disabilities.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport plans to lay regulations in April 2019. In the meantime work is under way to develop the guidance necessary for local authorities to administer the expanded Blue Badge scheme appropriately. This will draw on expertise of medical and healthcare professionals and will inform the regulatory changes.

Railways: Sheffield

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the average delay on trains between Sheffield and London St Pancras since the new timetable was introduced in May 2018 and (b) the average delay in the same period in 2017.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail are responsible for the performance of rail infrastructure, working with train operating companies who are responsible for the passenger services running on the network. Network Rail manage performance reporting and therefore the Department does not hold the information. The Department for Transport are aware that performance has declined since the introduction of the May 2018 timetable and continues to monitor the situation. The Government has set out plans to introduce more integrated working between Network Rail and train operators, to present a single accountable face of overall railway performance to passengers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timeframe is for the commencement of High Speed Two services to Sheffield.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 services will commence in 2033. A construction timeline for this section of route will be reported in the Environmental Statement, as part of the hybrid Bill deposit in 2020.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timeframe is for completion of the northern link for services from Sheffield to the main High Speed Two line.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The northern link for services from Sheffield to the main High Speed Two line is being considered as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. Transport for the North is working closely with partners across the North to develop the strategic outline business case for NPR. This work will consider the potential timescales for delivery of the network, including the northern link. This is an important milestone for the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, and I look forward to receiving their advice in the new year.

Manchester-Sheffield Railway Line

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timeframe is for completion of improvements to the Hope Valley line.

Andrew Jones: The Department is updating the business case for the Hope Valley Capacity scheme to secure a ‘Decision to Deliver’. When we are in a position to announce a delivery date, it will be with the assurance that it is value for money and deliverable by that date. We anticipate being in that position within the next year. Network Rail are undertaking pre-construction planning to enable the scheme to be delivered as quickly as possible. They will be working with the train operators to assess the best way to deliver the scheme with the least disruption to passengers and freight.

A140

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned completion date is for road improvements to the A140 in Suffolk close to the Norfolk border; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Suffolk County Council was awarded £3.8 million of Government funding for improvements to the A140 at Eye. These improvements are due to be completed by 31 March 2020. The A140 is a local road and these improvements are the responsibility of Suffolk County Council.

Great Northern Railway Line: Franchises

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on transferring franchising authority to Transport for London for contracting Great Northern metro train services that run to and from Moorgate station.

Andrew Jones: Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport have regular discussions with the Mayor of London, representatives of the London Assembly and Transport for London covering a variety of subjects including rail services in London.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Franchises

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to transfer commuter rail services to Transport for London as proposed in Chris Gibb's independent report to the Department for Transport on the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise.

Andrew Jones: Building on the Strategic Vision for Rail, the Department is actively considering the future of the TSGN franchise. It is doing this working closely with the Williams Rail Review, which, as part of its work, is examining the most appropriate organisational and commercial models for the future railway. This work is at an early stage and nothing is off the table.

Railways: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with the Mayor of London on plans for devolving commuter rail services to Transport for London.

Andrew Jones: Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport have regular discussions with the Mayor of London, representatives of the London Assembly and Transport for London covering a variety of subjects including rail services in London.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Franchises

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has completed its hard review of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise; and if he will make statement.

Andrew Jones: The Department has concluded that the disruption on this network was caused by a series of mistakes and complex issues across the rail industry. This is in line with Professor Stephen Glaister’s interim report. The Government is holding GTR to account for their role in the unacceptable performance following the introduction of the May timetable. To this end, GTR will make no profit from its franchise in this financial year. Looking ahead, we have also capped the amount of profit that the operator is able to make for the remainder of its franchise, which is due to expire in September 2021. Furthermore, GTR will be contributing £15m towards tangible improvements for passengers. This is in addition to the £15m the operator has already contributed towards compensation for passengers since the May timetable disruption.

Department for Transport: Terminal Illnesses

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department sign the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has no immediate plans to sign the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter but has invited its Trade Union Side to discuss the terms of the charter as part of a wider review of its attendance management policies.

Department for Transport: Equal Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to commence the equal pay review within his Department.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently undertaking scoping and planning work with a view to the Equal Pay Review starting in the first quarter of 2019, with publication of findings in the second quarter of 2019. This timeline may be subject to change in light of other organisational priorities.

Department for Transport: Bullying and Discrimination

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for (a) his Department and (b) each agency of his Department, what proportion of staff in the 2018 People Survey reported that during the past 12 months they had personally experienced (a) discrimination and (b) bullying or harassment at work.

Jesse Norman: The table below provides details on the proportion of 2018 People Survey respondents who indicated that they had personally experienced discrimination or bullying/harassment during the past 12 months: DiscriminationBullying or harassmentDfTc10%10%DVLA10%8%DVSA18%20%MCA13%15%VCA13%16% The Department does not tolerate any form of bullying, harassment and discrimination, and where it occurs it is essential that it is reported and tackled appropriately and effectively.As part of the Department’s Inclusion Strategy, during this year the Department has taken several actions to address bullying and harassment:created a number of Fair Treatment Ambassadors, to help create an inclusive culture by providing a first point of contact for individuals who need support.launched a Bullying and Harassment Toolkit which can be used by line managers and senior leaders to help build understanding and tackle issues and instances of bullying and harassment by creating a more inclusive culture within teams.started reviewing its policies, practices and processes to be sure they fully support staff and are as transparent as possible.

Department for Transport: Buildings

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the dates of all the consultation meeting officials of his Department (a) held and (b) planned with trades union health and safety representatives on the Modernisation of Office Environment project.

Jesse Norman: Officials in the Department have maintained an open dialogue with representatives of departmental trades unions on matters relating to the Modernising our Working Environment (MoWE) programme. Officials have invited representatives from departmental trades unions to join a number of informal steering groups relating to the programme. At the request of the trades unions my officials have kept them informed of progress through written communication on 6 October 2017 and 12 January 2018. On 30 April 2018 and 6 July 2018 representatives from departmental trades unions were invited to carry out a pre-inspection of Windsor House prior to the move of DfT staff into the building. My officials will provide a further update to the trades unions at key stages in the programme and will be invited to comment.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Climate Change Convention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the UK hosting the conference of parties to that convention in 2020.

Claire Perry: As I have previously stated, the UK is engaging with partners to determine who is best placed to preside over the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2020 (COP26). This has included discussions with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat to understand the scale of the undertaking. Whoever takes on the COP26 Presidency in 2020, will be working with a wide range of partners to ensure it is a success.

UK Research and Innovation: Publications

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he made of the potential economic effect of Science Europe’s Open Access Coalition Plan S before UK Research and Innovation signed up to that plan.

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to participate in the forthcoming UK Research and Innovation review of open access policy.

Chris Skidmore: Plan S is a set of high-level principles which are in line with current UK Government policy and ambitions for Open Access (OA), and identify common ways to accelerate the implementation of OA to meet the European Competitiveness Councils target, set by ministers in 2016, of making all publicly funded research Open Access by 2020. The UKRI OA Review is working within the framework of Government policy, due to report in autumn 2019. The Review will examine the best way to implement and operationalise Government’s ambitions around Open Access. BEIS will be represented on the OA Review Steering Group. The UKRI OA Review is focused on the effectiveness of UKRI policies and should any change to Government policy be proposed, Ministers will be consulted.

TRIPS Agreement: Drugs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Doha Declaration on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and Public Health, whether the Government supports all WTO members to (a) utilise TRIPS flexibilities including compulsory licenses and (b) determine the grounds upon which such licences are granted.

Chris Skidmore: The Government fully supports The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights, which sets out the minimum international standards for intellectual property protection, whilst providing some flexibilities for Member States to implement IP policies suitable to their circumstances.The Government also supports the 2001 Doha Declaration on Public Health which re-affirmed that WTO member states are free to determine the grounds for granting compulsory licences.

Females: Small Businesses

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support SMEs that are run by women.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to supporting all entrepreneurs to start and grow a business, and as part of our Industrial Strategy, we have taken steps to encourage women to start a business. There are now 1.1 million female-led small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, which accounts for 19% of SMEs in the UK, 5% higher than in 2010. There are 38 Growth Hubs across England which provide localised information, guidance, expertise and finance for businesses at any stage of their growth. We know that 45% of callers to the Business Support Helpline in 2017/18 were women. The Government-backed British Business Bank provides Start-Up Loans for individuals wishing to start a business and women account for 39% of recipients. The Scheme started in 2012 and as at the end of September 2018, the Start Up Loans programme had lent £450m to more than 59,000 entrepreneurs. The Bank is also conducting a review into the specific barriers female-led businesses face in accessing Venture Capital. I would also like to point out that on 21 September 2018, the Treasury launched a review into the barriers women face getting into business. This is led by Alison Rose, Chief Executive of RBS Commercial and Private Banking. This review will bolster our work to make it easier for them to access the support they need to get their ideas off the ground and grow their businesses.

Females: New Businesses

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further support the Government plans to provide to women who have received Government start-up loans to help them maintain their start-ups past the first year.

Kelly Tolhurst: Our Industrial Strategy is about providing help and support for all individuals wishing to start and grow their own business, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. The Government-backed British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme provides loans for people starting their own business. The Scheme started in 2012 and as at the end of September 2018, the Start Up Loans programme had lent £450m to more than 59,000 entrepreneurs. Whilst our approach to business support is focused on advice and support for all, I am pleased to report that women account for 39% of the recipients of these loans, while 19% of existing SMEs are female-led. The Start-Up Loans scheme also provides comprehensive advice and support for those in receipt of loans, with teams of business advisors and mentoring support to guide people through the start-up process.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many in-flight files of EU legislation exist that affect the policy areas managed by his Department; and which in-flight files of EU legislation his Department intends to implement in UK law.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 December 2018



As of 9 November, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) led on 46 EU legislative files that remain under negotiation. It is not possible to say which files will be implemented in UK law; this will depend on a range of factors including the nature of any future EU-UK relationship and the details of the final agreed texts of individual files including any transposition deadlines.

Companies House: Databases

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to reduce the risk of fraud from the availability of personal information on the Companies House database.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government considers that it is important that the information on the companies register should not become a tool for abuse. In response to concerns about the availability of residential address information on the register, we brought regulations into force in April to make it easier for people to have this information suppressed. We are also currently considering a broad package of reforms to Companies House, including the protection of personal information. We plan to consult on these reforms in 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Government response to the Thirteenth Report of Session 2017-19 of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Human rights and the rule of law, if the Government will publish its assessment of the technical assistance it has given to Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: The UK has been providing a range of technical and practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain since 2012, in support of its reform programme. Technical assistance supports the building of effective and accountable institutions, strengthening of the rule of law, and police and justice reform. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides updates on its programme work in its annual Human Rights Reports.​

Human Rights: Legal Profession

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the rule of law and protect lawyers in (a) Iran and (b) other countries where those working on human rights are at risk.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise human rights with the Government of Iran at all levels, and continue to take action with the international community by reminding Iran of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to guarantee procedural fairness in legal cases.All Human Rights Priority Countries are required to have a Human Rights Strategy, which includes working with human rights defenders. Our Guidelines give guidance to our diplomatic network on how to support and promote their work. Depending on the local context, this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working privately with host governments. The UK also supports human rights defenders through programmes within the Magna Carta Fund. Officials in London regularly meet those working on human rights to understand how we can support them best. Working at the multilateral level, in November 2017 the UK helped forge consensus on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights Defenders, bringing countries together to recognise and support their excellent work done around the globe.

Narges Mohammadi

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on Narges Mohammadi who has been imprisoned for 16 years for campaigning against the death penalty.

Alistair Burt: Mrs Mohammadi's case demonstrates Iran's appalling record when it comes to freedom of expression. We continue to call on Iran to cease the harassment and detention of human rights defenders in the country, including in our 2018 Annual Statement on Human Rights Priority Countries.

Mostafa el-Naggar

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the whereabouts of Mostafa Al-Naggar who has been missing since October 2018 following sentencing as part of case 478.

Alistair Burt: ​We are aware of recent reports regarding Mostafa Al-Naggar and are tracking his case. We remain deeply concerned about allegations of enforced disappearance in Egypt. Officials continue to raise these issues and concerns with the Egyptian authorities both in London and in Cairo. We continue to urge the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights and freedoms set out in Egypt's Constitution

Amal Fathy

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in the Egyptian Government on the case of Amal Fathy.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to follow Amal Fathy's case closely. I raised our concerns over her case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October.

Egypt: Capital Punishment

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to encourage the Egyptian Government to stop using the death penalty.

Alistair Burt: ​It is a long term policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers have raised concerns about the handing down of death sentences with the Egyptian authorities. We have publicly raised these concerns through the UN Human Rights Council and through the FCO's Human Rights Priority Country reports.

Colombia: Human Rights

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Colombian Government on the need for (a) individual and (b) collective protection mechanisms for human rights defenders in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK raised concerns about violence against human rights defenders (HRDs) during the Universal Periodic Review of Colombia's human rights on 10 May in Geneva. During the review, Colombia also accepted all UK recommendations including to improve protective measures for HRDs.I have also discussed the importance of tackling violence against HRDs with visiting Colombian officials, most recently President Duque's adviser for International Affairs and Human Rights during his visit to London on 17 October. The British Ambassador in Bogota has also raised the issue of collective protection mechanisms in a meeting with the Director of Colombia's National Protection Unit on 26 November. Through our Embassy-run human rights programme, the UK is working with the Norwegian Refugee Council to implement a collective protection mechanism for 'at risk' HRDs in rural communities.I welcome the Colombian Government's decision to host an official visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mr Michel Forst. The UK is ready to help the Colombian Government implement the recommendations in Mr Forst's final report.

Colombia: Females

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many women’s organisations in Colombia receive UK funding.

Sir Alan Duncan: All UK ODA programmes are required to take account of gender. The FCO Human Rights Fund has allocated over £1.5m for projects in Colombia related to the prevention of sexual violence since 2011. This programme supports grass roots women’s organisations in ten regional departments through financing their umbrella organisation in Bogota. During 2018, programmes managed by our Embassy in Colombia have worked with over 400 women in rural areas supporting their empowerment and access to justice. The UK has also supported the documentation of over 1200 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, and helped bring these cases before the transitional justice system. One of the International Climate Finance (ICF) programmes in Colombia will open a “call for proposals” in January 2019 for projects working with indigenous organisations led by indigenous women in the Colombian Amazon.

Colombia: Rural Areas

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many organisations in rural Colombia receive funding from the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: UK-funded programmes in Colombia work across the country, at national, regional and municipal level. Recovery of post conflict rural communities is a priority focus for the Cross-Government Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) programme supporting the peace process in Colombia. It directly supports 18 organisations working in rural parts of the country. The Cross-Government Prosperity Fund programme works with 6 local rural partners. International Climate Finance programmes support 5 larger partner organisations working in rural areas, including FEDEGAN and Naidiseros del Pacífico SAS, and have worked directly with over 3800 farms, and 19 indigenous and 13 rural communities.Through financial support to international partners such as the United Nations Trust Fund, the UN Office for Human Rights, and the International Organisation for Migration (IMO) as well as Colombian Government agencies, the UK's support will reach many other organisations working across all parts of Colombia.

Libya: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Libya’s Government of National Accord on the storming of the office of that country's Prime Minister by militias on 2 December 2018 as a result of a dispute over payments to militias.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the compliance with the UN-brokered ceasefire announced on 26 September by militias based in Tripoli.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress made by the Government of National Accord in Libya on establishing joint (a) military and (b) police forces in Tripoli, in accordance with the security reforms approved by the Prime Minister of that country.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the statement by the UN Support Mission in Libya on evidence of ongoing extrajudicial killings by members of militias based in Tripoli.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the compliance by the Special Deterrence Forces militia with the order to disband, made by the Presidential Council of Libya in May 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK remains deeply concerned by the security situation in Libya, and condemns any threats or use of force which endanger civilians, threaten stability or undermine the UN-led political process. Recent violence, including extrajudicial killings, has further highlighted the need for more credible and sustainable security arrangements. We welcome the UN efforts to broker a ceasefire, and the recent security reforms, including the formation of the Tripoli Security Arrangements Committee. We continue to engage with the Libyan authorities and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to support the implementation of the Tripoli Security Plan. It is important that these efforts are extended across the country in order to re-establish sustainable and nationwide security arrangements.

Libya: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) political stability and (b) the security situation in Libya of the cabinet appointments made by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord on 7 October 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK remains deeply concerned by the security situation in Libya, and is actively engaged in efforts to support the UN-led political process. Constructive engagement by all stakeholders with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Salamé's Action Plan is essential to the facilitation of an inclusive political settlement. We continue to work with the Libyan Authorities, including recent appointees to the Cabinet of the Government of National Accord, to help support progress on the political track and the provision of greater security and stability for the Libyan people.

Libya: Foreign Relations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) attendees and (b) outcomes of the talks on Libya held in Jordan on 2 December 2018.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) attendees and (b) outcomes of talks on Libya held in Khartoum on 29 November 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​We welcome the recent meetings on Libya held in Jordan and Khartoum. The meetings in Jordan were attended by senior Libyans and covered a range of bilateral issues. The 12th ministerial meeting of the Neighbouring Countries of Libya in Khartoum involved neighbouring countries and representatives from the UN, African Union and the Arab League. It is important that all reconciliation talks on Libya are co-ordinated with, and supportive of, the UN-led political process.

Libya: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress on implementing the restructuring of the Libyan Presidential Council, since the adoption of the amendments to the Constitutional Declaration of 2011 by that country's House of Representatives on 26 November 2018.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the timing of a national referendum in Libya on the draft permanent constitution of that country of the amendments to the Libyan Constitutional Declaration of 2011, adopted by the Libyan House of Representatives on 26 November 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is actively engaged in efforts to support the UN-led political process in Libya, the objective of which is to facilitate agreement with Libyans on a more inclusive political settlement, which would be the best way of stabilising the country. Constructive engagement by all stakeholders with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Salamé's Action Plan, including the National Conference, is essential to its success. The sequencing of a constitutional referendum should be decided by the Libyan people. The High National Electoral Commission has said that it will only begin the preparatory process for a referendum once the appropriate political, legal and security conditions have been met. We understand that discussions between the House of Representatives and High State Council on the restructuring of the Presidency Council are ongoing.

Burundi: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the African Union, (b) the East African Community and (c) members states of those organisations on the African Union’s announcement of 2 October on (i) plans to reduce the number of human rights monitors in Burundi and (ii) the call for the EU to lift sanctions on that country.

Harriett Baldwin: We continue to be deeply concerned by the reports of human rights violations, abuses and related crimes. The UK believes that the East African Community (EAC) inter-Burundian dialogue led by the region is key to ensuring open and inclusive elections in 2020 and to putting an end to the ongoing political and human rights situation.We continue to encourage EAC member states to engage in this dialogue and to work with the Government of Burundi to resolve the political situation. The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region recently met with the EAC counterparts facilitating the dialogue to discuss next steps. At the UN Security Council on 21 November 2018, we again highlighted our concerns at the situation in Burundi and the importance of the regionally led dialogue.

Burundi: Non-overnmental Organisations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Burundi on the (a) three-month suspension of certain NGOs accused of non-compliance with that country’s January 2017 law on foreign NGOs and (b) recent arrest of staff allegedly working for an NGO in violation of that suspension.

Harriett Baldwin: ​I urged Burundi to promote and provide fundamental freedoms for all when I met the Burundian Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly in September.The recent suspension of international NGOs, and subsequent actions, are of deep concern. The humanitarian situation will inevitably deteriorate without these actors and we hope that the re-registration of the NGOs can continue without delay.We have raised our concerns at a senior level with the Government of Burundi. Whilst we do not have an embassy based in Burundi, we are working closely with the international community to find a suitable solution. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Egypt: Emergency Powers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Egypt on the recent extension of the state of emergency in that country.

Alistair Burt: Egypt imposed a State of Emergency in April 2017 following two terrorist attacks on churches that killed over 40 people, and it was most recently renewed on 21 October for a further three months. Egypt continues to face an ongoing insurgency in the Sinai and a high terrorist threat, as evidenced by the recent attack on Coptic Christians on 2 November.

Egypt: LGBT People

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Egypt on the sentences handed down by Egyptian courts in criminal cases against LGBT individuals on 14 November 2018.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about reports that 21 people were found guilty of ‘debauchery’ under law 10/1961 on 14 November. We regularly raise concerns about the treatment of the LGBT community in Egypt, including in our latest Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. The Egyptian Government is well aware of our position on LGBT rights and we call on the Government of Egypt to uphold and protect the rights of all minorities in the country.

Egypt: Mass Media

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Egypt on recent arrests and investigations of (a) writers and (b) publishing houses under laws criminalising the spread of false news in that country.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports about the recent arrests of journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Egypt. Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government, both in public and in private. On 18 September we issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which we raised specific concerns about the arrests of activists, bloggers and journalists. I also raised our human rights concerns with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October.

Egypt: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the validity of recent reports from Human Rights Watch that over 40 political activists have been arrested in Egypt without warrants since October 2018.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports about the recent arrests of journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Egypt. Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government, both in public and in private. On 18 September we issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which we raised specific concerns about the arrests of activists, bloggers and journalists. I also raised our human rights concerns with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October.

Egypt: Political Activities

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Egypt on the arrest and detention of non-violent political activists by the Egyptian Government.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports about the recent arrests of journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Egypt. Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government, both in public and in private. On 18 September we issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which we raised specific concerns about the arrests of activists, bloggers and journalists. I also raised our human rights concerns with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October.

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Amnesty International's 20 November 2018 news story entitled Saudi Arabia: Reports of torture and sexual harassment of detained activists, what representations he has made to his counterpart on female human rights defenders being tortured in detention.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government is very concerned about the reports that women's rights activists have been subject to torture during pre-trial detention in Saudi Arabia. We consistently and unreservedly condemn torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat this wherever and whenever it occurs. We have raised concerns about these cases at Ministerial level a number of times with the Saudi authorities and will do so again following these allegations.

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will call on the Government of Saudi Arabia to release female human rights defenders detained without charge in that country.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government is very concerned about the reports that women's rights activists have been subject to torture during pre-trial detention in Saudi Arabia. We consistently and unreservedly condemn torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat this wherever and whenever it occurs. We have raised concerns about these cases at Ministerial level a number of times with the Saudi authorities.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on fishing rights in Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: I have not had discussions with EU counterparts on fishing rights in Western Sahara. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has been leading for the UK on the substance of the EU's negotiations on the draft amended Fisheries Agreement and draft new Fisheries Protocol with Morocco. We and other EU Member States have had regular discussions with the EU Commission on the issue.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the European Court of Justice ruling in February 2018 that a fishing agreement between the EU and Morocco would be invalid if applied to the waters off the coast of Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: ​I have not had discussions with EU counterparts on this matter. Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the UK's Permanent Representation to Brussels have had opportunities to discuss the Fisheries Agreement with EU counterparts during regular EU Commission meetings.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of Gambia’s Truth, Reparations and Reconciliation Commission in carrying out its mandated tasks; and what steps the Government is taking to support the work of that commission.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK welcomed the early commitment by the new Government of The Gambia to establish a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). The process, led by the Gambian Ministry of Justice, was initiated through a nationwide consultation. In December 2017, a Parliamentary bill to formally establish the TRRC, was unanimously agreed by the Gambian National Assembly. A process of public consultation selected a representative body of commissioners and the Commission itself was officially launched on 15 October 2018. The UK is supporting the TRRC by providing direct support to the Ministry of Justice and the TRRC processes through funding of a strategic adviser within the Ministry and a programme of TRRC outreach activity, that includes a focus on victims of gender-based violence.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the South Sudanese Government on ensuring adherence to the peace deal signed in September 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government remains closely engaged with South Sudan's leaders, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and its Member States, our Troika (USA and Norway) partners, and the wider international community to encourage the implementation of the peace agreement signed on 12 September.The parties to the conflict must show they are genuinely committed to its implementation and must abide by the commitments they have made. Key indicators of this commitment include an immediate end to all violence, the release of all political detainees, and the removal of impediments to humanitarian access.As part of our support for long term peace in South Sudan, we also continue to urge the region and the international community to hold accountable those who are working against peace, which must include the robust enforcement of UN sanctions and the arms embargo.

Ukraine: Foreign Relations

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last spoke with President Poroshenko of Ukraine;  and what issues were discussed at that time.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister spoke to President Poroshenko on 24 May, when they discussed the Minsk Agreements and the situation in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine: Foreign Relations

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last received a request from the Government of Ukraine for a telephone conversation with the President of that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO received a request on 27 November for a telephone conversation between the Prime Minister and President Poroshenko, to discuss the situation around the Sea of Azov. The Prime Minister is receiving regular updates on this issue, is following events closely and will engage President Poroshenko as events continue to unfold. Our full diplomatic network is engaging on an international response. We are in very close contact in Kyiv. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin on 29 November, when he reaffirmed the UK’s solidarity with Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary also participated in a lunch with EU Foreign Ministers and FM Klimkin in the margins of the 10 December EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

Indonesia: Demonstrations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart on the arrest of West Papuan protesters across the region who were marking independence day on 1 December.

Mark Field: The UK Government follows the situation in Papua with close interest. Officials at our Embassy in Jakarta, including the Ambassador, visit Papua regularly. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the province. We have made no specific representations about arrests in December. The UK respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia.

South Sudan: Capital Punishment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of South Sudan over that Government's use of the death penalty.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is deeply concerned by the use of capital punishment in South Sudan. We continue to make clear to the Government of South Sudan our strong opposition to the use of the death penalty under any circumstances, most recently with senior members of the Government on 6 December. The UK Ambassador also emphasised our opposition in a radio broadcast on 10 December to mark International Human Rights Day.

North Korea: Nuclear Disarmament

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of denuclearisation in North Korea.

Mark Field: We continue to believe that negotiations are the best way to make progress towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. We urge North Korea to approach negotiations with the US in good faith. North Korea must turn their commitments into decisive steps towards complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearisation in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Cigarettes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the contribution of the vaping industry is to the economy.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 November 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 68.64 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 68.64 KB)

Public Sector: Billing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Public Contract Regulations 2015, how many times the Crown Crown Commercial Service identified in the last 12 months that contracting authorities failed to include in contracts provisions that any payment due from the contracting authority to the contractor is to be made no later than the end of a period of 30 days from the date on which the relevant invoice is regarded as valid and undisputed.

Chloe Smith: The Public Procurement Review Service have not identified any cases that do not have the standard 30-day payment terms in public sector contracts.Through the Public Contract Regulations 2015, it is required that these payment terms are passed down the supply chain. Public sector buyers must also publish annually on their payment performance.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 4 December 2018, Official Report, column 879, what information his Department has received from the Electoral Commission on whether the EU referendum 2016 was a fair poll.

Chloe Smith: In September 2016, the Electoral Commission Report on the 23 June 2016 referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union found the referendum had been delivered without any major issues and the result announced in a clear, timely manner. Since then, the Electoral Commission has published the conclusions of its investigation into the campaign spending of referendum campaigners. That electoral rules have been breached is rightly a cause for concern. However, that does not mean that the rules themselves were flawed. The Government will continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, along with many other stakeholders in the electoral system, to protect the integrity, security and effectiveness of referendums and elections.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Billing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, whether his Department holds data on the proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) contractors to his Department that include provisions to impose that any payment due to a subcontractor be made no later than 30 days from the date on which the relevant invoice is regarded as valid and undisputed as required by the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Robert Buckland: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) keeps a central database of contracts it issues. All contracts issued since 2015 that permit subcontracting have contained such provisions.The Government Legal Department (GLD), Attorney General’s Office (AGO), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) do not centrally hold this data. To calculate or estimate this would involve a manual check of contracts held and this would incur disproportionate cost.For future exercises with an anticipated contract value above £5 million per annum, the CPS will apply the requirements of Procurement Policy Note 04/18 (published 29 November 2018). This requires departments to include ‘prompt payment’ questions in the selection of future suppliers.

Department for International Development

Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the proposed UN migration pact; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places people on the move in situations of great vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration both in our domestic policy work and in our ODA-funded programmes by:Addressing the root causes of migration, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, education and economic development;Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crime;Supporting enhanced border management;Providing critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return home; andSupporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.The Global Compact for Migration is one way in which we are working to ensure that UK migration priorities are embedded throughout the international system. It is a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and helpful framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals.The Compact is not legally binding. It creates a framework that will allow countries to work together to make migration more beneficial for everyone. It protects every State’s right to determine its own immigration policies, including in areas such as asylum, border controls and returns of illegal migrants.I recently spoke to the APPGs on Migration and Refugees about the Migration Compact and attended the intergovernmental launch in Marrakech. We will issue a Written Ministerial Statement to update parliament.

Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of UK Official development Assistance on low income countries in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: For each of the last five years the impact of DFID’s work has been set out in the Departmental Annual Reports and Accounts. The DFID Annual Report and Accounts 2017-2018 also shows the results achieved during the period April 2015 to March 2018. In that period, UK Official Development Assistance reached 26.8 million people with humanitarian assistance and supported 40.3 million people to access clean water and/or better sanitation. Between January 2015 and December 2017, it supported the immunisation of approximately 37.4 million children, saving an estimated 610,000 lives. We are committed to improving the effectiveness and transparency of UK aid to ensure we are attaining maximum impact from our aid budget. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has the remit to provide independent scrutiny of the impact and value for money of all UK Government aid spending and reports its finding to Parliament’s International Development Committee.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the continued military offensive on Hodeidah port on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Yemen; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure humanitarian and commercial imports are delivered into and throughout Yemen.

Alistair Burt: An operational pause in fighting around Hodeidah continues to hold while Stockholm talks take place. The UK government continues to raise concerns with the Saudi led-Coalition about the potential impact of any assault on the port and city and is in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any further military operations do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows both through the port and onwards across the country.As we have consistently made clear, the Houthis must also facilitate access throughout areas they control (which is where most of the population in humanitarian need live).To date, Red Sea ports remain operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely. The UK is providing £1.3 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to increase physical inspections of commercial ships giving the Coalition confidence that weapons which threaten Saudi national security are not coming in to Houthi-controlled areas.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the reports by the UN World Food Programme that there has been a decrease in accuracy of operations at Hodeidah port in recent weeks.

Alistair Burt: Red Sea Ports are currently operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely. For most of this year imports have been robust and in some cases exceeded pre-war levels. We are however concerned about recent reports of a reduction of imports into Yemen. To maintain confidence of commercial importers, the UK recently worked with the US, Saudis and Emiratis to agree measures with the Central Bank of Yemen to issue letters of credit to provide foreign currency so that importers can purchase food on international markets. This has also resulted in an appreciation of the Yemeni Riyal, increasing the purchasing power of ordinary Yemenis. It is imperative the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef remain operational. Yemen relies on imports to meet 90% of its basic needs like food and fuel – before the conflict, the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef accounted for approximately 80% of total imports into Yemen. The UK recently pressed successfully for the suspension of unnecessary processes introduced by the Government of Yemen in bringing food goods into the country and we continue to call on all parties to allow safe, rapid and unhindered access for food and fuel throughout Yemen.

Palestinians: Schools

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development,  pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2018 to Question 171641 on Palestinians: Schools, whether her Department has commissioned the study into the new Palestinian textbooks.

Alistair Burt: The UK government is deeply concerned about the findings of the IMPACT-se report into the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) new curriculum and it remains a priority for the Development for International Development (DFID) to commission an independent review of the PA’s textbooks. We are also continuing to raise our concerns about incitement, which the Minister did himself at a meeting with the Palestinian Education Minister earlier this year. Last week, on 4th December, DFID officials met the PA Minister for Education and raised UK concerns over specific examples in the IMPACT-SE report. Our timeline for the textbook review remains unchanged. We will complete the review by September 2019. The UK has been convening discussions with potential international partners on commissioning the review together, in order to increase the impact of the study. We will commission the review in the new year once we have concluded these discussions. We will publish further information once the assessment has been commissioned.

Department for International Development: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings she had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: I hold the responsibility for DFID’s Science and Research. The DFID Chief Scientific Adviser has met with me three times during the period of 1 September – 30 November 2018. In addition, DFID’s Chief Scientific Adviser has also met with my colleague the Right Hon. the Lord Bates during this period. The Chief Scientific Adviser has not met with the Secretary of State during the period of September - November 2018. The Chief Scientific Adviser continues to provide all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on DFID science and research activities.

Department for Education

Children: Protection

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of (i) looked-after children and (ii) child protection plans and (b) the reasons for those trends.

Nadhim Zahawi: We monitor the number of children looked after and the number of children with child protection plans on an ongoing basis. Figures on the number of looked after children at the 31 March in the last five years are published in Table A1 of statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018.Figures on the number of children with child protection plans are published in Table A2 of the statistical release ‘Characteristics of children in need 2017-18’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2017-to-2018.The government is working between now and the Spending Review 2019 to get a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services, including the factors that affect this demand, to help ensure that local authorities have the resources they need. The factors that affect these trends are cross-cutting and there is variation between local authorities. We are also working with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the fair funding review of relative needs and resources which is looking in more detail at levels of demand in local authorities.

Students: Housing

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of first-year undergraduates who do not live in accommodation sponsored by their university.

Chris Skidmore: Holding answer received on 10 December 2018



The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data about higher education (HE) in the UK.Information on the term-time accommodation arrangements of entrants to full-time undergraduate study at UK HE institutions in the academic year 2016/17 has been provided in the table, and shows that 60% of entrants lived in accommodation other than provider-maintained properties. Provider-maintained property refers to residences owned by the institution returning data.Full-time undergraduate entrants by term-time accommodation typeUK HE InstitutionsAcademic Year 2016/17Term-time accommodation typeNumber of entrantsShare of entrants (%)Provider maintained property213,53540%Parental/guardian home110,64521%Own residence75,08014%Private-sector halls59,89511%Other rented accommodation50,2259%Other12,6002%Not known12,6452%Not in attendance at the provider5400%Missing200%Total 535,185100% Source: Department for Education analysis of the HESA Student RecordNotes1. Percentages are rounded to nearest whole number.2. All figures are rounded to the nearest multiple of five.

Schools: South Gloucestershire

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has allocated through the National Funding Formula to schools in South Gloucestershire in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c)2019-20.

Nick Gibb: The table below sets out the funding allocated to South Gloucestershire to fund schools in the years requested. It also sets out the high needs funding given to the local authority, which is for pupils with complex special educational needs and disabilities. Some of this funding goes to mainstream schools to help them meet the needs of these pupils.YearSchools block allocation High needs allocation2017-18[1]£151.15 million£29.66 million2018-19[1]£151.19 million£31.04 million2019-20 (illustrative)[2]£154.76 million£31.33 millionIn addition to the funding allocated through the national funding formula, schools will receive funding from specific grants - for example, through the pupil premium, or the PE and sports premium.Local authorities remain responsible for setting school budgets at a local level, and individual schools may see their funding change due to changing pupil numbers or characteristics, or changes in how the local authority distributes funding. [1] Figures are from the Schools Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2017-18 and 2018-19. In addition, the national funding formula (NFF) came into force in April 2018 for the 2018-19 financial year, so South Gloucestershire’s 2017-18 allocation was not calculated using the national funding formula.[2] Figures are from the NFF allocations published in July 2018 for 2019-20. DSG figures for 2019-20 as these are not yet published. 2019-20 NFF figures are illustrative because they will be updated to reflect the latest pupil numbers when the 2019-20 DSG allocations are confirmed.

Erasmus+ Programme

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Withdrawal Agreement on the involvement of (a) UK students and (b) UK universities in ERASMUS+.

Chris Skidmore: Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including Erasmus+, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF.Following ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK universities and students participating in the current Erasmus+ programme will be able to continue to bid for funding, participate in and lead consortia, until programme closure in 2020.

Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of services for children with developmental language disorder.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resourcing of services for developmental language disorder.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is committed to ensuring that children and young people with speech, language and communication needs get the support they need. The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice makes clear that local authorities, educational institutions, and relevant others must appropriately identify the needs of their local area and ensure that appropriate support is available to meet those needs.We have given £391 million to local areas to support implementation of the 2014 SEND reforms. Nationally, funding for children and young people has risen by £1 billion since 2013 to just under £6 billion this year. In Sheffield, the local authority will receive £54 million in high needs funding for 2018-19.We are aware of the concerns of local authorities about high needs cost pressures. We are monitoring the drivers of these pressures, and looking at what can be done to help local authorities manage them.

Disabled Students Allowances

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of uptake of disabled students' allowance of the introduction of the requirement for students to contribute £200 towards the costs of specialist equipment.

Chris Skidmore: Holding answer received on 10 December 2018



The Student Loans Company (SLC) data show the uptake of the disabled students’ equipment allowance by full time undergraduate students domiciled in England fell from 28,000 in 2014/15 to 23,400 in 2015/16, the year the £200 contribution was introduced, and to 21,600 in 2016/17. Provisional figures for 2017/18 show an increase of 17% in uptake compared to the provisional figures in 2016/17. The SLC National Statistics data are available at https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx.

Social Services: Children

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with directors of children’s services on their ability to deliver their statutory duties to children and families.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers and officials regularly meet key stakeholders, including Directors of Children’s Services (DCSs), to discuss policy issues relating to the department’s agenda. For example, I recently met with DCSs and Local Authority Chief Executives at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, held recent roundtables in the department with groups of both DCSs and Chief Executives, and have attended induction events for new DCSs, the last one being in October 2019. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of the State and I have very recently met with a number of children in care to hear their views and experiences. The department recognises how important it is to speak directly with those who are on the front line, delivering services for children and families.

Social Services: Children

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the link between deprivation and demand for children’s services.

Nadhim Zahawi: Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities (LAs) have more looked-after children (per 10,000 0-17 year olds), and these rates have grown faster than the least deprived LAs.In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services.We are also working with Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government as part of the Government’s Fair Funding Review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence.We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area, including Newton Europe’s Making Sense (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services continuing research reports, Safeguarding Pressures (2018).

Department of Education: Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.

Anne Milton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has not had any one-to-one meetings with the Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September – 30 November 2018.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Private Sector

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018 on Prisons Update, Official Report HCWS1123, what criteria his Department plans to use to decide which unsuitable accommodation is to be closed and replaced by 10,000 modern prison places.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018 on Prisons Update, Official Report HCWS1123, when it is planned to open the new prisons in (a) Wellingborough and (b) Glen Parva.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018 on Prisons Update, Official Report HCWS1123, when he plans to close the current unsuitable accommodation.

Rory Stewart: Further to my written statement on 29 November, the Government is committed to building up to 10,000 modern, safe and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation so that Governors can achieve better educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes. As I set out in my answer to PQ 199900, there are a variety of factors that inform decisions to classify prison accommodation as being unsuitable. These include physical condition, age, cost of maintenance and/or operation, strategic fit with demand and needs of the prisoner population, rehabilitative suitability, access to services and the number of hours a prisoner would spend in their cell. No decisions have been made about any future prison closures. Construction of the first two new build resettlement prisons at Wellingborough and then Glen Parva is expected to begin in late 2018 and late 2019, with completion planned for early 2021 and 2022 respectively. We continue to focus on safety and decency in the prison estate. Last July, the Justice Secretary announced an investment of £30 million in prisons to enhance safety, security and decency across the estate. This includes a £16m investment in improving the fabric of prisons, targeting those with the most pressing maintenance issues so that we can start bringing them back up to acceptable standards. As announced in the 2018 Budget, an additional £30 million will be spent on prisons this financial year on top of the £30 million announced in July. This will go towards further improvements to safety, security and decency on top of those already announced.

Prison Officers: Private Sector

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison custody officers were certified at each contracted prison on the last date for which Ministry of Justice Controller records are available.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many certified prison custody officers were on duty at 9am at each contracted prison on the last date for which Ministry of Justice Controller records are available.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics are not published for privately managed prisons. The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for specific points in time, and it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties. The table below displays the most recent figures that the Ministry of Justice has for the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison and the dates that these relate to. AltcourseAshfieldBirminghamBronzefieldDoncasterDovegateForest Bank269.1774.6302148218.5259204.501/11/1831/10/1801/10/1831/10/1831/10/1831/10/1831/10/18Lowdham GrangeNorthumberlandOakwoodParcPeterboroughRye HillThameside230229.4284403329.76132.6819231/10/1831/10/1801/10/1801/10/1801/10/1801/10/1831/10/18Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 4,300 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the average length of time between notification of unsuccessful claims for personal independence payments and tribunal hearing for appeals of those refused claims in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 12 December 2018



This information is not held centrally. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) records numbers, waiting times and outcomes of appeals by benefit type, but will not necessarily identify appeals made specifically because applications for benefit were unsuccessful. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) consists of a daily living and a mobility component, both or either of which can be paid at standard or enhanced rate. Therefore, claimants for PIP may have claimed for both components, and only been awarded one, or sought the enhanced rate and only been awarded the standard rate. A claim may be successful, but may not have been at the level sought. HMCTS is unable to isolate such appeals. Information about the volumes and outcomes of PIP appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. Latest figures (to June 2018) indicate that since PIP was introduced, 3.5 million decisions have been made, and of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned at tribunals.

Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were granted legal aid under exceptional case funding each (a) year and (b) quarter since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 12 December 2018



Prior to 2013, when a case fell outside the usual remit of Community Legal Service funding, an individual could make an application to the Legal Services Commission for exceptional funding under s6(8) of the Access to Justice Act 1999. These cases included disputes, inquests and tribunal hearings. Depending on the type of case, funding could either be granted by the LSC, or by Ministers. The figures below reflect the volume of cases granted exceptional funding under the provisions of the Access to Justice Act 1999, based on the date the decision (by either the LSC or by the Ministry of Justice). Please note these figures have been extracted from an operational database, which like any operational database may contain errors. The figures have not been verified to the standard of Official Statistics, and should be interpreted as such.Please note that all volumes referenced in this answer are recorded by successful application, as opposed to being by ‘person’. An application may include more than one person and one person can also have more than one application.Financial YearQuarterTotal2010/11Q119 Q236 Q319 Q4122011/12Q111 Q220 Q326 Q4222012/13Q122 Q215 Q311 Q4202013/14Q13 The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) superseded the Access to Justice Act 1999 in April 2013 and introduced a new Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme to provide funding where a lack of representation would otherwise breach an individual’s Convention rights. The LAA publishes data about the ECF as regulated by section 10 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 as part of its published statistics on gov.uk. The data for the period 2013-2018 is available on gov.uk in column ‘J’ at table 8.1, on the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/748562/legal-aid-statistics-tables-apr-jun-2018.ods

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will review the process of registration for Registered Provider status for community led micro-providers intending to provide fewer than 100 homes, to allow such groups to demonstrate they are working towards meeting the required standards with time provided to develop relevant skills and capacity.

Kit Malthouse: The Regulator of Social Housing operates independently within the framework set by legislation and sets its own criteria that applicants for registration must meet. Local authorities that own housing stock are automatically registered and private organisations such as housing associations can voluntarily apply to register. Any applicant that is eligible for registration and meets these criteria must be registered.The current process of registration is designed to provide the Regulator of Social Housing with assurance that providers are well-managed and financially viable. Almost all new applicants for registration have plans to provide fewer than 100 homes. The Regulator intends to publish a document in the new year which sets out some of the common issues it sees in applications for registration which should be of help to potential applicants.

Service Charges

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the sale of freeholds with mandatory service charges attached for community and public space maintenance.

Kit Malthouse: Developers of new estates may voluntarily provide open spaces for residents or be required, as a planning condition, to include public open spaces and make provision for its future upkeep. It is up to developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate funding arrangements for those developments where public open space is a planning condition. The Government believes that it should be clear to potential purchasers what the arrangements are for the upkeep of open space - public or otherwise. The Government is committed to providing freeholders with new rights to ensure that where they do pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed use estate, they can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness. We set out our proposed approach to implementing these measures in part 4 of the recent leasehold reform consultation which closed on 26 November this year.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment and Support: Staff

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacant civilian staff full-time equivalent posts Defence Equipment and Support has backfilled with contractors or contingent labour in each of the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those arrangements.

Stuart Andrew: Contingent labour is only used for instances where Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) does not have the specialist skills it needs in-house, or for urgent requirements where normal recruitment activities would not fill the post in time with a civilian or military employee. The cost and average number of contingent labour personnel used by DE&S in each of the last three financial years is shown in the table below. Year2017-182016-172015-16Cost (£ million)27.842.627.1Average number (Full time equivalent)254358292

Defence: Arctic

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for the Armed Forces of 26 November 2018, Official Report, column 14, which stakeholders he is consulting on the development of the UK Defence Arctic Strategy.

Mark Lancaster: A wide range of UK Government and international stakeholders are being consulted. Inputs are being gathered from a wide cross-section of the Ministry of Defence, including the Armed Forces and across Whitehall, including key stakeholders in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Transport and the Cabinet Office. Once initial UK Government positions have been considered, we will engage extensively with international allies and partners, to ensure that the strategy effectively addresses their perspectives and priorities. This stakeholder engagement builds on the Department's existing engagement with academic institutions and think tanks which have assisted in the development of its position on the Arctic to date.

HMS Victorious

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what sources of information his Department consulted in its assessment which led to the decision not to refuel HMS Victorious.

Stuart C. McDonald: The Ministry of Defence has considered a wide range of safety, technical and programmatic information in formulating its decision not to refuel HMS Victorious.I can confirm that our ability to operate all our nuclear submarines safely is not in doubt.

EU Battlegroups

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK defence forces will participate in EU Battlegroups in 2019-20.

Mark Lancaster: Subject to a deal on the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will be able to continue to participate in certain EU missions and operations on a case-by-case basis, where it is in our mutual interest to do so, during the transition period. There are no plans to commit forces to the EU Battlegroup during this period.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effect of single family payments of universal credit on people who are in violent or coercive relationships.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the ease with which victims of domestic abuse can (a) request and (b) receive split universal credit payments.

Justin Tomlinson: We believe that most couples can and want to manage their finances jointly without state intervention. However, we recognise that there are circumstances in which split payments are appropriate, such as in the case of domestic abuse. Where this is the case, split payments are available on request. Both members of a couple do not need to be present to set up a split payment and consent is not required from the other partner to authorise a split payment. Claimants can request a split payment during a face to face meeting, a phone call, or online via their journal and do not have to provide evidence of abuse in order to be granted a split payment. Not all individuals who are suffering domestic abuse will want a split payment and we work with claimants on an individual basis to provide support that fits with their individual circumstances. Work coaches receive training on domestic abuse and we will provide all the support we can when an individual discloses they are suffering from domestic abuse, including signposting them to third party professionals who can provide additional expert advice and support. We continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to support the development and implementation of their split payment policy, and will observe the implementation of split payments in Scotland to further understand the impacts of such a policy.

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve the performance of customer-facing services provided by her Department in terms of (a) time taken to answer a telephone call and (b) assistance provided.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department regularly reviews the numbers of people working at key points during our operating hours to ensure we have the right number of people available to answer customer calls. Services and staff training are continually monitored and assessed, both in real time to meet any short term peaks in demand and also reviewed for longer term improvements to ensure the service continues to meet customer service expectation. For example, a recent improvement is the new routed telephony service for Universal Credit Full Service claims, introduced this summer, in which claimants with an existing claim are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with their case. The Department is taking a range of steps to improve assistance and accessibility of our services. - On telephony, the Department is currently reviewing all call scripts and instructions for DWP telephony agents to identify necessary improvements in the assistance given to claimants requesting communications in alternative formats, such as large print, braille and audio. We have also, over the past year, extended the provision of British Sign Language to deaf claimants calling the Department through the Video Relay Service, which connects them to telephony agents via a third party translator.- On digital, for example with Universal Credit, in addition to being a 24 hour, seven day a week, digital service, claimants are able to check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes via an online journal facility at a time that suits them. For those requiring help, assistance to access digital service help is available through Universal Support. Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches. Additionally, all Jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim. - The Department has an ongoing programme of improvement in place to ensure that written communications to our customers are as clear and accessible as possible. Additional information and resources are available on all DWP services via the Gov.uk website.

Motability

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount of money transferred from mobility allowance paid to disabled people to the Mobility Scheme in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The latest Motability annual report shows over 620,000 people use the scheme. https://www.motability.org.uk/14910_Motability_Annual_Report_2017-18_Final_LR.pdf

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the length of time taken for the transfer of documents between her Department and the Courts and Tribunal Service relating to personal independence payments claimants who are appealing the refusal of their claim in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Department works closely with HM Courts and Tribunal Service and endeavours to transfer information within agreed timescales. We continue to monitor and review our decision making and appeals journey and have in recent months undertaken significant recruitment to ensure we deliver the best service to our customers

Work Capability Assessment

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her letter of 5 December 2018 on the Work Capability Assessment, when her Department will provide statistics on how many people flowed off Employment and Support Allowance whose date of death was at the same time, and who had a Work Capability Assessment decision of fit for work between March 2014 and February 2017.

Sarah Newton: As my Right Honourable friend, the Secretary of State, said in her letter to you and the Honourable member for Wirral West of 5 December 2018, we do monitor requests we receive for statistics, and consider whether we can produce and release analysis that will helpfully inform public debate.

Department for Work and Pensions: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings (a) she and (b) her predecessor had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has met with the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser on the 30 November 2018 and her predecessor met on one occasion on the 1 September 2018.

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that direct payments from universal credit to landlords of rent and arrears continue (a) when a claimant moves from live to full universal credit service and (b) during the managed migration process.

Justin Tomlinson: When moving from a live service claim to a full service claim on Universal Credit, claimants must re-declare their housing costs and for claimants in Social Rented Sector properties their landlord will need to re-verify their housing costs. The Alternate Payment Arrangements (APAs) that they had on the live service, including a Managed Payment to Landlords (MTPL), will be visible to their Case Manager who will be able to transfer these across once their housing costs have been verified. The claimants next APA review date is also transferred to the Full Service. Our Trusted Partner scheme allows social landlords to play a key role in engaging with their tenants who are on Universal Credit, helping those who can’t manage their housing payments to access the support available and to help put managed payments in place where appropriate. We are rolling out the scheme alongside the Landlord Portal, which provides social landlords with the ability to submit information directly to the Universal Credit online system, supporting the timely and accurate payment of housing costs to Universal Credit claimants. Last year we made changes to the guidance to ensure that when Private Sector Housing Benefit claimants move onto Universal Credit, we know whether they had their rent paid directly to their landlord and why. This allows DWP staff to determine whether a managed payment to the landlord for the Universal Credit claim may need to be applied and will prompt a conversation with the claimant. This will be the case for claimants who move over as part of the managed migration process. Claimants in Scotland may choose to have the relevant housing costs in their award paid directly to their landlord as part of the Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities. The Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities are a matter for the Scottish Government as part of the Scotland Act 2016 and is their policy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Salmonella

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of salmonella on farms have been reported on each type of farm in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: I refer the Hon. Member to the annual Salmonella in livestock production in Great Britain reports produced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which show reported cases of salmonella for each livestock sector. The reports are available on the GOV.UK website.

Sea Bass

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the European Commission to tackle illegal seabass fishing activity from commercial fixed netters.

George Eustice: Under recovery measures for the bass stock, there is a general prohibition in EU legislation on fishing for bass, with a number of specific derogations allowing for limited bass landings from directed and by-catch fisheries. The current derogation for fixed gillnetters provides for a 1.2 tonne annual limit per vessel to allow for unavoidable by-catches of bass. This limit means landings of UK gillnetting bass catches are over 70% lower than pre-recovery measures levels. I am aware of concerns being raised about targeting of bass under that unavoidable by-catch provision and at this year’s Fisheries Council on 17-18 December, we will be considering new management measures relating to seabass, including new proposals from the European Commission in relation to commercial fixed gillnets.

Home Office

Hezbollah

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to review his policy on proscribing all parts of the Hezbollah organisation.

Mr Ben Wallace: It is Government policy not to comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription. A decision to proscribe an organisation must be based on a belief that it is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, and it must be proportionate.

Offences against Children: Social Media

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) outcomes and (b) agreements were that he reached on online child grooming with representatives of (i) Microsoft, (ii) Facebook, (iii) Google, (iv) Snap and (v) Twitter on his recent visit to the US.

Victoria Atkins: Between 6-8 November, the Home Secretary held a series of meetings with Microsoft, Twitter, and Snap, Google and Facebook. In those meetings, the Home Secretary reiterated his personal commitment to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation and reinforced his key demands of tech companies, which he set out in his speech on combating child sexual exploitation and abuse at the NSPCC on 3 September.The Home Secretary also pushed for increased transparency across all their efforts to tackle abuses of their platforms and stressed the need for companies to demonstrate they were enforcing their terms and conditions.The companies affirmed their commitment to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse on their platforms; set out steps they are taking to develop new technologies and policies to make their platforms safer; and agreed to continue to engage closely with the government on taking further actions to detect grooming (including sharing appropriate information with partners and deploying new tools) that were appropriate for their platforms.

Offences against Children: Social Media

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to encourage social media companies to tackle the grooming of young children on the platforms of those companies.

Victoria Atkins: Tackling online grooming is one of our highest priorities, and we are in-creasing our investment in law enforcement and legislating on online harms to bear down on the threat. In November the Home Secretary also co-hosted a ‘Hackathon’ in the US, where tech companies developed an artificial intelligence product to detect online grooming that will be licensed free of charge to technology companies worldwide.

Offences against Children: Internet

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued to police forces on tackling online child abuse.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has issued guidance to police services on using an intelligence-led approach to identify children who are at risk of online exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: The College of Policing, as the professional body for the Police Service is responsible for providing guidance to the police. The College of Policing’s “Vulnerability” training package, aimed at ensuring a consistent approach across all police forces, includes a programme on Child Sexual Exploitation. Further details are provided on their website:https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Development/Vulnerability/Pages/Vulnerability.aspxingWe have begun to drive a step change in our approach to dealing with crimes against vulnerable children and people across the country and have invested significantly in a programme of reform to help the police to respond to changing crimes. This includes significant extra investment through the Police Transformation Fund (PTF) to transform policing in response to crimes against vulnerable individuals such as child sexual abuse.

Internet: Crime Prevention

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretaries of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and for Justice on tech companies preventing their platforms being used for criminal activity.

Victoria Atkins: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery, including on illegal activities taking place on social media.As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Immigration

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has any targets for the number of people migrating to the UK once the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We remain committed to reducing net migration to sustainable levels. As we leave the EU, free movement will end and we will take back control of immigration. We will shortly be publishing a White Paper outlining the principles for our future border and immigration system.

Domestic Violence: Football

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on reducing domestic violence during football games.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse and on 8 March we launched a consultation seeking views on a range of options to ensure victims are afforded the greatest possible protection and perpetrators are brought to justice. The consultation outlined a range of legislative proposals for a landmark Domestic Abuse Bill, together with a package of non-legislative measures.As we develop the proposals following feedback from the consultation, we are in regular communication with other Government departments including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, using forums such as the Inter-Ministerial Group on Violence against Women and Girls, in order to discuss how to transform the government’s response to domestic abuse.We plan to publish our consultation response and draft Domestic Abuse Bill later this session.

Hate Crime: Social Media

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the monitoring of videos of potential (a) hate crimes and (b) incitements of hate published by young people on social media.

Victoria Atkins: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery, including on activities taking place on social media which are relevant to hate crime. As was the case with previous administrations,it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. Online hate content is being considered as part of the development of the Online Harms White Paper to be published this Winter.

Police: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the number of police officers per head of population was in Greater London in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical publication, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesData on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population in the London Region (including City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service), as at 31 March each year for each of the last five years, are provided in the table below: Table 1: Police officers per 100,000 population1, London region2   London region2  Full-time equivalents  As at... Police officersTotal officers per 100,000 population1 31st March 2014 31,678376  31st March 2015 32,991386  31st March 2016 32,827378  31st March 2017 32,202366  31st March 2018 31,088352Notes Calculated using Office for National Statistics’ mid-year population estimates for England and Wales. Includes City of London and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Asylum: Children

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied minors who were held in Calais detention centres have been resettled in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: In October 2016, the UK acted decisively and on an exceptional basis at the time of the Calais camp clearance to remove 769 vulnerable unaccompanied children from a dangerous situation where they were at risk of violence and abuse. Our action at that time resulted in 220 children being relocated to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, and the remaining 549 children being transferred to reunite with family members already in the UK.Following the clearance of the camp, the French authorities arranged for the children who had previously been there to be moved to specialist reception centres around France. Children who could not be transferred to the UK and who remained in France were transferred into the French care system.We are continuing to work closely with French authorities and non-governmental organisations in France to support the identification and transfer of eligible children to the UK under Dublin. We have allocated a £3.6 million Dublin development fund, as part of the Sandhurst Treaty signed between the UK and France in January 2018, to identify projects to support eligible claims through the asylum process and ensure those who are ineligible for transfer to the UK are informed of their options. The Treaty also includes a commitment to reduce timescales for decisions and transfers under Dublin. A UK asylum liaison officer has been deployed to France to support the process.Responsibility for unaccompanied children on French territory lies with the French authorities, however France is bound by many of the same international obligations as the UK. Children have access to day centres where they can access support and information about the French asylum procedures.

Police Pursuits: Motorcycles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of tactical contacts to reduce moped enabled crime.

Mr Nick Hurd: No assessment has been made on the effectiveness of tactical contacts. Decisions on when to use tactical contact is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers.

Refugees: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the protection of unaccompanied child refugees in northern France from trafficking and exploitation.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on educational support for unaccompanied child refugees in northern France.

Caroline Nokes: The United Kingdom and France are committed to a whole of route approach on migration, as set out in the Sandhurst Treaty, which was signed in January 2018. It is not acceptable that people continue to lose their lives making the dangerous journey to Europe through illegal channels. The United Kingdom and France will coordinate our collective influence and expertise to address the shared challenges posed by illegal migration, “modern slavery”, and human trafficking, and to support regular and well managed legal migration flows.  A commitment has been made in the Sandhurst Treaty to help protect and support unaccompanied children in northern France from trafficking and exploitation. The UK-FR Migration Committee, who meet quarterly, oversee the programme of work that underpins the Sandhurst Treaty. The allocation of a £3.6M development fund, as part of the UK’s overall £45.5M funding commitment, aims to identify projects which support eligible claims through the Dublin process and ensure that those with no prospect of transferring to the UK are informed of their options.

Refugees: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Court of Appeal ruling of 3 October 2018, when his Department plans to provide unaccompanied minors refused entry to the UK under the Dubs scheme full explanations for that refusal.

Caroline Nokes: In the case of Help Refugees v SSHD, handed down on the 3 October 2018, the Court of Appeal made a finding that the provision of inadequate reasons to children refused transfer to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 breached the common law duty of fairness and was therefore unlawful. The cohort of children impacted by this judgment is limited to those who were considered for transfer to the UK during the clear-ance operation regarding the Calais camp in 2016 the judgment is not reflective of the operation of the section 67 scheme generally.The relief granted by the Court of Appeal in its judgment is declaratory, the court did not identify or mandate a particular course of action to be taken in response to its findings. The response to the judgment is currently a matter of active consideration.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.

Alun Cairns: None. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not have a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Department of Health and Social Care

Nurses: Training

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there has been a reduction in the per-placement funding support for the nursing degree course at the University of Suffolk.

Stephen Hammond: Placement funding for nursing degree courses is paid to placement providers by Health Education England in line with a nationally agreed tariff price. The tariff payment rate has not changed since April 2017 and remains fixed at £3,112 per year for each whole time equivalent placement. Tariff payments also attract a market forces factor payment, an additional payment to compensate for unavoidable cost differences between healthcare providers, based on their geographical location.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the consistency of the (a) procedures and, (b) prescribing practice Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Steve Brine: It is important that the National Health Service achieves the greatest value from the money that it spends. In 2017, the cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community was £9.17 billion, and we know that across England there is significant variation in what is being prescribed and to whom. NHS England has partnered with NHS Clinical Commissioners to support clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in ensuring that they use their prescribing resources effectively and deliver the best patient outcomes from the medicines their local population use. During 2017/18 CCG guidance was published by NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) for:- Items that should not be routinely prescribed in primary care (November 2017); and- Conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care (March 2018). The aim of this is to reduce unwarranted variation in prescribing, and introduce a more equitable framework from which CCGs can take individual and local implementation decisions.

Eating Disorders

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to (a) raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of eating disorders and (b) encourage those with such symptoms to seek help and treatment for their condition.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report, Ignoring the alarms: How NHS eating disorder services are failing patients, published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in December 2018, what steps his Department is taking to review the existing (a) quality and (b) availability of adult eating disorder services to achieve parity with child and adolescent services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England commissioned a national review of adult eating disorder services in 2017, which is now complete. Data collected on activity, investment and workforce is being reviewed with stakeholders to inform NHS England’s understanding of current provision and existing levels of parity with eating disorder services for children and young people. The data is informing modelling to understand the finance and workforce gaps to achieving greater levels of parity. Diagnosing and treating eating disorders is an important area of medical practice. It is included within the curriculum for training all doctors, including for general practitioner (where most eating disorders initially present) and in more depth within training for psychiatry, particularly child and adolescent psychiatrists. This training equips doctors to identify the early potential symptoms of an eating disorder and help patients to discuss difficult issues. This Government recognises the importance of raising awareness and reducing stigma so that more people feel able to talk about their mental health, including eating disorders, and seek treatment. That is why in January 2017, the Prime Minister committed to having mental health first aid training available to secondary schools, aiming to have trained at least one teacher in every secondary school by 2020 and to all primary schools by 2022. This Government has also provided grant funding to the Time to Change national mental health anti-stigma campaign since 2012. Time to Change works with people with experience of mental health problems, including eating disorders, to challenge stigma and to improve social attitudes towards mental health. The Government has also committed to equip one million people to be better informed to look after their own mental health, so Public Health England is currently leading the development of a £15 million national mental health campaign called ‘Every Mind Matters’.

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) level of public support for a change to the schedule of pneumococcal vaccination programme and (b) potential effect on public confidence in vaccination of an increase in disease prevalence following a change in that schedule.

Steve Brine: The Government bases its vaccination programmes on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert group. As an independent committee, the JCVI is well placed to ensure the latest and most appropriate evidence has been considered on potential changes to scheduling within the vaccine programme, including identifying who to target to obtain the evidence it needs to inform its advice. The JCVI bases its advice on review of a wide range of scientific and other evidence including from the published literature, commissioned studies such as independent analyses of vaccine effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and submissions from vaccine manufacturers. Its advice takes into account the public health arguments related to any potential change to the vaccination schedule, such as the potential impact on cases of infectious disease. Any decisions about any changes to vaccination schedules take account of a wide range of factors. Public confidence in vaccination is monitored by Public Health England, which commissions an annual survey of parental attitudes to childhood immunisation. The survey includes around 2,000 parents each year and the results are used to inform the planning of the childhood immunisation programme.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential effect on the incidence of disease in at-risk populations of changes to the meningococcal C vaccination programme and (b) accuracy of the modelling of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation at the time of its recommendation that that programme be changed.

Steve Brine: Those at increased risk of meningococcal disease are clearly identified in the Green Book as children and adults with asplenia, splenic dysfunction or complement disorders. These at-risk individuals continue to be eligible for vaccination against Meningitis C disease (Men C), currently with MenACWY vaccine. Overall risk of MenC disease remains low in England with only 64 cases across the whole population in the last epidemiological year (2017/18). Modelling by its very nature is subject to uncertainty and can be influenced by the methods, the quality of data and the underlying assumptions used. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation was aware of published modelling data on the impact of the potential removal of the infant MenC dose and additional estimates were provided by Public Health England. The estimates were considered plausible by those experts on the committee, the minutes of which can be accessed via the following link: https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fapp.box.com%2Fs%2Fiddfb4ppwkmtjusir2tc/view/229171865007

Genetics: Screening

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish its approach to evaluating the genomic tests to be included in the National Genomic Test Directory.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Genomic Test Directory specifies which genomic tests are commissioned by the National Health Service in England, the technology by which they are available, and the patients who will be eligible to access to a test. The Test Directory is copyrighted, controlled and maintained by NHS England. The Test Directory may only be amended following a robust and evidence-based process conducted and approved by NHS England which will occur on an annual basis. NHS England is currently working with the devolved nations to develop a clear and transparent systematic process for the future evaluation of new genomic tests, enabling an effective annual update process of the Test Directory. This will ensure continued value through the co-ordinated replacement of older tests with new and emerging approaches.

Genetics: Screening

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish its policy outlining the approach to commissioning and funding genomic tests to be included in the National Genomic Test Directory.

Caroline Dinenage: Funding for genomic testing will be from a combination of specialised commissioning and highly specialised services, and local commissioning budgets. NHS England is moving towards a system whereby funding and contracting mechanisms for genomic testing will become fully operational under a standardised, sustainable, national funding and pricing approach.

Genetics: Screening

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to ensure equitable patient access to panel tests through the Genomic Medicine Service.

Caroline Dinenage: The first of five key aims for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service is to provide consistent and equitable care for the country’s 55 million population. A key element of the Genomic Medicine Service is the National Genomic Test Directory which outlines the entire repertoire of genomic tests – from Whole Genomic Sequencing to panel tests, to tests for single genes and molecular markers – that are available as part of the National Health Service clinical service in England. The Genomic Medicine Service will be supported by an informatics system, that is being developed in partnership with Genomics England. When fully operational the National Genomics Informatics Service will enable NHS England to monitor the number of genomic tests being carried out across the country and benchmark activity.

Genetics: Screening

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment NHS England has made of trends in the level of uptake of molecular diagnostic tests in England.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England does not currently hold this data but as part of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, which is beginning to operationalise, a National Genomics Informatics System (NGIS) is being developed by Genomics England for use by the National Health Service. When fully operational NGIS will enable NHS England to monitor the number of tests being carried out across the country and benchmark activity.

Food: Genetically Modified Organisms

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent research his Department has commissioned on the safety of genetically modified organisms in the food chain.

Steve Brine: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food and animal feed safety including the safety of genetically modified (GM) food and feed. The FSA has not recently commissioned any research on the safety of GM organisms in the food chain, but regularly monitors credible scientific literature to identify any relevant research for further consideration.

Dental Health: Children

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve the oral health of children.

Steve Brine: In England, local authorities (LAS) are responsible for assessing oral health needs and improving the oral health of their local population. Improving the oral health of children in England is an ongoing Public Health England (PHE) priority. PHE’s Children’s Oral Health Improvement Programme Board (COHIPB) brings together over 20 stakeholder organisations that have key leadership roles for children and young people. As part of the work of COHIPB, PHE has produced resources which contribute to improving and reducing inequalities in oral health, including local authority area trends in the oral health of five-year-olds and information on programmes currently commissioned by LAs to improve oral health in children. These documents can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oral-health-of-5-year-old-children-in-local-authorities The Government’s childhood obesity plan sets out measures that will reduce the amount of sugar children consume, which will have a positive effect on improving children’s oral health. In 13 high priority areas, NHS England has launched ‘Starting Well: A Smile4Life Initiative’. This programme of dental practice-based initiatives aims to reduce oral health inequalities and improve oral health in children under the age of five years.

NHS: Complaints

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what redress is available to people who have not received a response from an NHS Trust to a complaint within the 40 working day deadline.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The NHS Complaint Regulations do not impose working day deadlines on responding to complaints but they do require a complaint to be investigated proportionately to its complexity. A timescale must be agreed with the complainant at an initial meeting, or if the complainant declines this meeting, the National Health Service body must write to the complainant informing them of how long the complaint will take to be investigated. If a complainant is unhappy with their complaint outcome or a delay in the NHS responding they have the right to approach the Health Service Ombudsman and ask them to investigate. The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and Government being accountable to Parliament.

NHS: Insurance

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made on the effectiveness of the NHS Injury Cost Recovery scheme.

Stephen Hammond: Since 1999, the Injury Cost Recovery scheme has recovered around £2.8 billion with annual recoveries currently around £200 million (£175 million in England, £15 million in Scotland; and £10 million in Wales). The money recovered goes directly to the trust providing the treatment. Each year, the Department updates the regulations to reflect any inflationary increase which maintains the real-terms value of income recovered on behalf of NHS trusts. The Department will continue to monitor income recovered by the Injury Cost Recovery Scheme each year.

Health Services: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2018 to Question 194056, whether his Department has estimated the cost of Health Education England's workforce proposals.

Steve Brine: NHS England has confirmed funding of over £600 million between 2017/18 and 2020/21 to support delivery of the Cancer Strategy for England. Funding of Cancer workforce commitments made in Health Education England (HEE)’s Cancer Workforce Plan published in December 2017 is contained in HEE's overall budget and is not separately identifiable. Going forward, cancer services will be included in the forthcoming National Health Service long-term plan.

Doctors: Facilities

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all doctors have access to a dedicated place to rest (a) during and (b) at the end of their work shift.

Stephen Hammond: It is a matter for employers to ensure that rest facilities are provided for all staff during breaks in their work shifts. Staff would normally leave their place of work at the end of their shift. There are particular provisions in the terms and conditions of doctors in training and consultants covering working at night. The doctors in training contract states: “Where a doctor is required to work overnight on a resident on-call working pattern, the doctor shall be provided with overnight accommodation for the resident on-call duty period. The consultant contract requires agreement with their employer on those occasions when they would be resident for night duties which, subject to the agreement, may include access to a dedicated place to rest.” Generally, employers do not require doctors to be resident on call, as all time resident on call is classified as working hours following the Jaeger judgement. It is a matter for employers to consider what rest facilities they wish to provide when a doctor has been called into the hospital and wishes to rest before going home.

Brain: Tumours

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many brain tumour research applications have been received by the National Institute of Health Research to date.

Caroline Dinenage: In May the Government announced £40 million over the next five years for brain tumour research as part of the Dame Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. Funding will be invested through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to support a wide range of research from early translation (experimental medicine) through clinical and on to applied research, and we rely on researchers to submit high-quality research proposals in this complex area. The following table shows the amount of applications received since the NIHR was established: Financial YearSuccessfulUnsuccessfulMiscellaneous*Total Applications2003/04 1 12005/061  12006/07 1 12007/0814 52008/0913 42009/10 9 92010/1119 102011/1211132012/13361102013/1414 52014/15172102015/16 6 62016/175121182017/18 10 102018/19 (year to date)210820Grand Total178313113 Note:Miscellaneous*- under consideration / withdrawn / other

Paramedical Staff: Pensions

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for how long on average paramedics are in receipt of their employee pensions.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold data in the format requested.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes in the level of public health funding on trends in the number of incidences of cancer.

Steve Brine: The Government has made no specific assessment of any correlation between current levels of spending on public health and the incidence of cancer. In the period 2007 to 2016 (the latest year for which there is data) new registrations of cancer rose from 255,200 to 303,100, with the largest increases being in diagnoses of skin cancers (other than melanoma) and prostate cancer. The increases largely reflect the impact on incidence of an ageing population. Since 2013 local authorities in England have taken the lead in commissioning a wide range of public health interventions, including a number with the potential to help prevent cancer, based on their own assessments of local needs. The Government is making available over £16 billion during the current five-year spending review period for use by local authorities exclusively on public health services, but by their nature such interventions may take some time to take full effect. As well as prevention, improving the early diagnosis of cancer is a key priority for the Government. From next year people with suspected cancer will receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days. We have also announced a package of cancer measures that will radically improve the system and ensure that 55,000 more people survive cancer for at least five years every year from 2028.

Dermatitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have a diagnosis of eczema.

Steve Brine: The data requested is not held centrally.

Vaccination

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the Library (a) all instances where the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended a change to a vaccination programme that would be likely to result in an increase in disease incidence, (b) whether those recommendations were accepted by Ministers and (c) the subsequent changes in disease incidence following those decisions.

Steve Brine: The information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Drugs

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish the commercial framework referred to in the policy paper of 5 December 2018 entitled Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.

Steve Brine: NHS England, with input from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, will develop a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England. This framework will be tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders once the voluntary scheme is operational. The intention is to publish the framework early in 2019.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government will publish its alcohol strategy.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care and Home Office officials are continuing to hold discussions on the development of a new joint alcohol strategy and further announcements will be made in due course.

Abortion: Gender Selection

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department next plans to publish an assessment of the extent of sex selective abortion in the UK.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ban the use of non-invasive prenatal testing to determine gender.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what structures are in place for healthcare professionals in (a) primary care and (b) other settings to raise concerns on sex selective abortion occurring.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department publishes annual sex birth ratio analysis, which provides information on whether there is any evidence for sex selective abortions happening at scale within specific communities in Great Britain. The most recent analysis was published in October 2018 and found no evidence of sex selective abortions occurring in Great Britain over the period 2012 to 2016. The report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sex-ratios-at-birth-in-great-britain-2012-to-2016--2 The UK National Screening Committee has recommended Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) be a contingent test in the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme only for trisomy 13, 18, 20 and not for any other genetic marker including sex. Plans are currently underway to make the NIPT test available on the National Health Service for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes only. Sex selection is not one of the lawful grounds for termination of pregnancy. It is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone, unless the certifying practitioners consider that an abortion was justified in relation to at least one of the grounds in the Abortion Act 1967 such as a gender-linked inherited medical condition. Anyone with evidence that sex selective abortion is occurring should report it to the police.

General Practitioners: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP trainees began training in Nottinghamshire in 2017.

Steve Brine: There were 71 general practitioner (GP) trainees that began training in Nottinghamshire in 2017. The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme is a national incentive scheme which funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract GP trainees to work in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. 144 places were available on the scheme in England in 2017, 11 of which were in Nottinghamshire.

Department of Health and Social Care: Meetings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant of his Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196185 on Department of Health and Social Care: Meetings, if he will publish the (a) names of the people who attended those meetings and (b) minutes of the meetings.

Steve Brine: The attached table shows the names of Senior Civil Servants and external attendees at an equivalent or higher grade from these organisations, and the job title of attendees below this grade. The Department does not hold a central record of the notes of these meetings.



PQ199338 attached document
(Word Document, 19.8 KB)

Food

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with officials from other Departments on the availability and price of fresh fruit and vegetables in UK shops to support its healthy eating policies.

Steve Brine: There are ongoing discussions between officials in the Department of Health and Social Care and other Government departments on improving the nation’s health and wellbeing, including improving diets. These include formal monthly and quarterly meetings as part of the governance of the childhood obesity programme.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS prescription penalty notices were issued between August 2017 and August 2018; and how many recipients of those notices have subsequently been confirmed as having made a valid claim for free prescriptions.

Steve Brine: The NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) issued 1,306,138 prescription penalty charge notices between August 2017 and August 2018. The NHS BSA subsequently received notification that 302,761 of these went to people who had a valid prescription charge exemption. Such instances commonly arise when there is a data mismatch, due to an address or name change, and the NHS BSA can cancel the penalty charges upon being contacted by the recipient.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what process is in place for the NHS Business Services Authority to check a claimant's eligibility for free prescriptions with the Department of Work and Pensions.

Steve Brine: The NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) and the Department for Work and Pensions have a data sharing agreement in place. This enables the NHS BSA to verify the accuracy of declarations from people who have claimed exemption from National Health Service prescription charges, on the FP10 prescription form, due to a qualifying Department for Work and Pensions benefit.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to introduce the digitised system enabling pharmacies instantly to verify a person's entitlement to free prescriptions.

Steve Brine: Real Time Exemption Checking technology, enabling pharmacies to verify a person’s entitlement to free National Health Service prescriptions, is due to be piloted in early 2019. An evaluation of this pilot will then inform next steps.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust: Strokes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of stroke care at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Steve Brine: The Government and the National Health Service are committed to ensuring every patient has access to high quality, specialised stroke care. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust currently admits around 800 stroke patients per year. UHCW provides hyper-acute and acute stroke care for patients from Coventry and Rugby, and in addition provides thrombolysis treatment for patients from South and North Warwickshire where medically appropriate. Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group is the lead commissioner for Stroke Services at UHCW and monitors the quality of services provided. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) measures the quality and organisation of stroke care in the NHS. This programme looks at how well each specialist stroke centre is meeting the recommendations for best practice care as set out by the Royal College of Physicians. SSNAP reports on a quarterly basis, providing an overall rating between A and E, with A being the best performance. The latest SSNAP report showed that UHCW are performing at level B.

Eating Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183515 on Eating Disorders, what measures Health Education England is requesting in the General Medical Council training review to improve eating disorders training among doctors.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183515 on Eating Disorders, whether his Department is taking steps to seek to ensure that thereis an increase in the number of training ours undertaken on eating disorders under the medical school curricula.

Stephen Hammond: Health Education England (HEE) is working closely with NHS England to better understand the current provision of eating disorder services and identify interventions to increase education and training in eating disorders. It is also the role of National Health Service trusts as employers to ensure they have sufficient staff with the right skills to care for their patients. Subject to the outcome of this work, HEE would seek to influence the General Medical Council, medical schools and Royal Colleges in discharging their responsibilities for curricula or post registration training and qualifications in ensuring the NHS has available the workforce the NHS requires. HEE takes account of prevalence and proportionality to the prevalence of diseases when planning its approach to these bodies with regard to the focus on specific conditions.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2018 to Question 186311 on Mental Health Services, which child and adolescent mental health services he has visited since taking on his position; and on what dates those visits took place.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In addition to my Rt. Hon. Friend’s visits to mental health services at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, he plans to visit the Coborn Centre for Adolescent Mental Health in Newham later this month.

Suicide: Mental Health Services

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt were discharged with no follow-up appointment or care plan.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally. Mental health providers are required to provide a follow-up to patients on a Care Programme Approach and discharged from hospital within seven days. The latest data provided by NHS England shows that over 95% of mental health providers are meeting this standard. We would also expect that mental health providers to implement the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice (2015) which recommends a discharge plan is developed upon a patient’s imminent discharge from hospital. This should include a care plan for their ongoing needs and support.

Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what date the NHS 10-year plan will be published.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service long-term plan is due to be published by the end of the year.

Suicide: Bereavement Counselling

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183510 on Suicide: Bereavement Counselling, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS staff members affected by patient suicide are proactively offered support.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Each National Health Service organisation is responsible for providing support services to their staff, including when they may experience traumatic events such as the suicide of a patient. The National Quality Improvement Board published ‘Learning from deaths: Guidance for NHS trusts on working with bereaved families and carers’ in July, which highlights the importance of providers addressing the needs of staff who have experienced a patient suicide as well as working compassionately with bereaved families. In October, the Government announced £2 million of funding for the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) over the next two years. The ZSA is working to improve suicide prevention and awareness training to staff across the NHS and wider communities and this includes initiatives to protect the mental health, wellbeing and safety of staff as part of an organisational approach to suicide prevention.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Data Protection

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 195127 on Scotland Office: Data Protection, what the subject matter was of the two dossiers that were lost.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 195127 on Scotland Office: Data Protection, whether personal data was included in the dossiers that were lost.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer 3 December 2018 to Question 195127 on Scotland Office: Data Protection, whether the documents were lost by (a) a Minister in his Department, (b) an official in his Department or (c) a Special Adviser.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 195127 on Scotland Office: Data Protection, in what format were the documents that were lost.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 195127 on Scotland Office: Data Protection, where the two official sensitive documents were lost.

David Mundell: Two official sensitive documents are recorded as having been lost by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland since 8 May 2015. These documents were in paper format and contained information relating to energy resilience, and contained no personal data. All losses are assessed and responded to individually and on a case-by-case basis with all possible mitigating actions being taken and in full compliance of our legal and other responsibilities.

Scotland Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not have its own Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser. I regularly meet with a wide range of officials across Whitehall on a variety of issues.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Trade: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent steps he taken to advise cross-border traders in Northern Ireland on the arrangements they need to put in place after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government reached an agreement with the EU that guarantees no hard border on the island of Ireland. Under this Protocol Northern Ireland businesses will continue to be able to trade freely across the Irish border. The government will continue to engage with Northern Ireland businesses.The British Irish Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of the Withdrawal Agreement, stating “It is clear that businesses recognise the huge efforts made by the Prime Minister and across government to reach this milestone – and it is NI Chamber’s opinion that any deal is better than no deal for business".

National Crime Agency and Police Service of Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what  recent discussions he has had with the (a) National crime Agency and (b)  PSNI on contingency preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been clear that we do not want or expect a no deal scenarioAchieving agreement on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and securing a detailed Political Declaration on the terms of our future relationship has meant that the chances of no deal have been reduced considerably. However, the Government continues to prepare for all eventualities.We are working across Government to develop and implement our preparations to leave the EU. This includes discussions between the Home Office and law enforcement agencies and local authorities, including the National Crime Agency and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, on how to ensure ongoing security and effective policing regardless of the outcome of negotiations.

Brexit

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what goods are exempt from the provisions of Annex five of the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

Mr Robin Walker: The annexes to the Protocol set out the small fraction of EU rules that would apply in the event that the backstop was in effect - though as we have been clear, we fully expect alternative arrangements to be in place to avoid the need for its use by the end of 2020.In that scenario, the only EU rules that apply would be the fraction strictly necessary to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and give frictionless access to the EU market for all goods from Northern Ireland’s businesses. That includes, as we have set out in the explainer to the Agreement and other accompanying documents, product standards on industrial goods and agricultural goods. But the net effect in a backstop would be significantly increased powers and flexibility for a restored Northern Ireland Assembly and for Parliament. For example, the Protocol is clear that in the case of non-harmonised goods (such as clothing), the placing of goods on the market would be a matter for the United Kingdom.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what role the Government's chief scientific officer has in respect of the technological developments required to provide an alternative arrangement on the Irish border.

Mr Robin Walker: The Political Declaration is explicit that the UK and EU should take forward urgent work to establish alternative arrangements that guarantee there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland on a permanent basis. Given the urgency and importance of these considerations, that work will draw upon all appropriate expertise within Government.The role of the GCSA and departmental CSAs in preparations for leaving the EU is to provide science advice in all relevant areas. They are doing so across a range of areas on a regular basis.

Social Security Benefits and Legal Aid Scheme: EU Nationals

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to Article 10 and Article 18 of the Draft Withdrawal Agreement, published on 14 November 2018, whether the Government plans to confer on EU parents who have lived in the UK for more than 3 months but less than 5 years, the same status as a UK citizen in terms of (a) social security benefits and (b) legal aid after the invocation of Article 50.

Mr Robin Walker: We have been clear that, under the Withdrawal Agreement, EU citizens in the UK on a pathway to settled status will continue to be able to access benefits after the end of the implementation period on the same basis that they can access them now. This broadly means equal access for workers and the self-employed and limited access for those not working. If these individuals go on to acquire settled status, they will then be able to access benefits on the same terms as comparable UK nationals.Legal aid will continue to be available to all that meet the required criteria under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and who require legal services that are within scope of LASPO.

Brexit

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the legal opinion of the European Court of Justice Advocate General that the UK can revoke Article 50 unilaterally, what assessment he has made of whether legislation is needed for the UK to revoke Article 50.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government notes the judgment of the CJEU. But we have been clear that we will not be revoking Article 50. The British people gave the Government a clear instruction, and we will be leaving the EU on 29th March 2019.A clear majority of the electorate voted to leave the EU and we must respect both the will of the British people, and the democratic process which delivered this result.

Treasury

Health Professions: Tax Avoidance

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses will be subject to the 2019 Loan Charge.

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect of the 2019 Loan Charge on the number of bankrupts.

Mel Stride: Disguised Remuneration schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. Further information can be found in HMRC’s issue briefing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-issue-briefing-disguised-remuneration-charge-on-loans/hmrc-issue-briefing-disguised-remuneration-charge-on-loans. HMRC is working hard to help individuals to get out of tax avoidance for good. HMRC does not want to make anybody bankrupt and very few cases ever reach that stage. HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically. Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals of over 650 million pounds. More than 90% of this amount was collected from employers, with less than 10% from individuals.

Child Benefit

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that taxpayers were made aware of the introduction of the High Income Child Benefit Charge; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) was introduced in 2013 to ensure that support is targeted at those who need it most. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) took considerable steps to raise awareness of HICBC. It wrote to around 800,000 families affected by the charge when it was launched, and ran a high profile advertising and media campaign. It also included a prominent message about the charge in two million letters to PAYE-only higher rate taxpayers. HMRC continues to make information on HICBC widely available, including in packs for new parents telling them how to claim Child Benefit. Guidance is also available online on Gov.uk. The Government is continuously looking at ways in which communications about HICBC can be improved further, including HMRC undertaking customer research which will be used to make improvements to its guidance.

Revenue and Customs

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he plans to respond to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Sub-Committee report entitled The Powers of HMRC: Treating Taxpayers Fairly, HC 242.

Ross Thomson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Sub-Committee report entitled The powers of HMRC: treating taxpayers fairly, HL 242.

Mel Stride: The Government will respond to the sub-Committee’s report in due course and in the usual way.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Voluntary Work: Young People

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2018 to Question 195559 on Voluntary Work: Young People, what proportion of the those eligible to take part do the figures provided in that Answer represent.

Mims Davies: Please see attached the proportion of young people eligible to take part in NCS, in relation to the figures provided in the Answer to PQ 195559.



Participants by Region and LA 2015-17
(PDF Document, 72.18 KB)

Gambling: Advertising

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on limiting gambling advertising during televised sports events.

Mims Davies: There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including broadcast adverts. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not appeal particularly to children or young people or exploit vulnerable people. We considered advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and our response set out a package of measures to strengthen protections further. These include strengthened guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on protecting vulnerable people, tougher sanctions for operators who breach advertising codes and a multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign. The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling has announced that it will extend its voluntary commitment not to advertise on TV before 9pm to include advertising during sporting events. Its industry-wide code for socially responsible advertising also requires all TV adverts to feature a responsible gambling message for the duration of the advert. These are welcome moves and we encourage all those who benefit from gambling advertising to think about how they can promote safer gambling

Northern Ireland Office

Business: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what role his Department played in (a) organising and (b) financing the visit to Parliament by Northern Ireland business representatives during the week commencing Monday 3 December 2018 to meet with hon. Members and Peers.

Karen Bradley: The Northern Ireland Office invited a range of business and community sector stakeholders to take part in the event in Parliament. The Department did not finance their visit.

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Ruth George: What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect on families in Northern Ireland of the universal credit two-child limit.

John Penrose: Social Security is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland as is the implementation and administration of Universal Credit.Differences for claimants in Northern Ireland, include twice monthly payments, split payments and managed payments of the housing element of Universal Credit. Additionally, anyone receiving a welfare supplementary payment will also continue to receive this payment under Universal Credit, to ensure that they do not lose out.